Very impressed with the service provided by the Albert Grace team. Sophie was brilliant throughout the renting process, and when she was not available someone else from the team would step in and help. I'm really glad that hubby and I found the flat that we wanted managed by a fantastic agency.

Just a few thoughts on Malay and his team. From inception to finish the service was nothing less than professional. Malay has done some considerable renovation on my my rental properties and from the initial specification to the final fitting the process was smooth,measured and transparent. Every last detail was taken care off and great care was taken not to inhibit the tenants so as to avoid problems for me. I will certainly be using Malay for future projects.

Five stars are not enough to describe how excellent Sophie and Malay have been in supporting us in the tenancy process. On top of being very professional, they have also been extremely kind, honest and pleasant people to deal with. All the properties we have viewed with them were stunning! Definitely recommended!

Excellent, friendly and professional service provided over our 3-year tenancy - from our first meeting right the way through to our departure date. Clearly had the tenants interests at heart while maintaining a strong relationship with the landlord Highly recommended estate agent

Great guys at AG, always on hand with any queries I had and very thorough and professional, and anyone would expect them to be, with a Real Estate market guru heralding the business who's hands on approach and focus to deliver is top notch and incomparable.

Never disappoint - always deliver! A great family run company where customer service is right at forefront. I have been using 'Albert Grace Estate Agents' for 16 years. They are good value for money and as a fully managed property service I know my rental property is in good hands. Start to finish, professional, efficient, honest and straight talking.

We have been working along side Albert Grace and have to say that Malay and his colleagues are a great team and a great asset to the company. They are very proactive, honest and reliable. We look forward to many more years of working together. Thank you for all your hard work.

The team at Albert Grace Estate is incredible. From renting my flatour quickly and to the right candidates they are always proactive andprovide good support. Also they have good knowledge about currentlaws, they even help me find cheaper insurance and they have greatnetwork. Highly recommend them anytime.

Before I bought a property for investment, I happened to talk to Albert Grace Estates.They advised me so well that I directly built trust in their capabilities. Their knowledge about the real estate market is solid. They react very fast and found a perfect property to invest in.Albert Grace is now managing my new property and I am very pleased with their service. We rented the property and they fully manage all aspects of rental.

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Research in recent months has looked at what impact the recent increase in interest rates has had on UK homeowners. Over 1,000 UK homeowners were surveyed and it was noted that while it was the first increase for just 37% of UK homeowners, this climbed to 78% for those aged between 25-35.

Overall, the financial implications remained minimal across the board and market confidence remains high for the majority of homeowners, who have not been put off from a future purchase from the increase. But while the market as a whole remains unfazed by this increase, those in younger age brackets have been more deterred from climbing the ladder after experiencing their first rate increase.

London was home to the highest number of homeowners seeing a climb for the first time at 63%,

Repairing obligations are often not taken seriously. This is a mistake which can result in courts awarding tenants damages for the disrepair, which in more serious cases can virtually eliminate a tenant’s rent arrears and make recovery of possession under section 8 difficult.

The repairing obligation applies where the tenancy term does not exceed 7 years, where the Landlord has been given notice of the issue, and been given a reasonable time to make a repair. These obligations are often contained within the tenancy agreement but even if they are not written into the tenancy agreement they are implied by the statutory obligation under Section 11 of the Landlord and Tenant Act 1985.

Contractual obligation:
Most tenancy agreements contain provisions to ‘repair’. It is for the parties to decide what obligations and standards

If you are a landlord or a tenant, we recommend that you carry out regular maintenance on your domestic appliances; it only takes a few minutes and it could save you lots of unnecessary inconvenience and stress. *Before doing any sort of maintenance on any appliance, turn it off and unplug it before starting. Always read and follow manufacturer’s user manual.

How to look after your washing machine

Like most domestic appliances, washing machines are expensive so it pays to look after them. Follow our washing machine maintenance tips just once a month to ensure it lasts.

Clean the lint filter

The lint filter is a coarse sieve which catches bits of fluff, coins, hair clips and other objects. If this gets blocked up, water will remain in the machine which could result in a

Some consultants and letting agents are using the revised L8 ACOP to suggest that new legislation has been imposed on landlords of domestic rented properties for managing and controlling the risks of exposure to Legionella bacteria of their tenants. This is wrong, the legislation has not changed and misinformation/misinterpretation can impose unnecessary financial burdens on landlords where they are being charged for legionella testing and certificates they don’t actually need.

There is a legal duty for landlords to assess and control the risk of exposure to legionella bacteria, but Health and Safety law does not require landlords to produce or obtain, nor does HSE recognise, a ‘Legionnaires testing certificate’.

Legionella testing (or sampling) is generally not required in domestic hot and cold water systems and then only in exceptional circumstances.

1. What is the landlord required to do?

The new regulations for smoke alarms and carbon monoxide detectors came into force on the 1st of October 2015. The government has published a handy notes for landlords;

at least one smoke alarm installed on every storey of their rental property

a carbon monoxide alarm must be installed in any room where solid fuel is used

After that, the landlord must make sure the alarms are in working order at the start of each new tenancy. Currently at Albert Grace Estates we find that recording the alarm on video and keeping the receipts after purchase is most effective.

The intention of the regulations is to increase the safety of private sector tenants.